A sergeant of the Army has been injured and four people have been arrested after a new stone attack against soldiers deployed in Ceuta during the early hours of this Saturday, August 29.
The events occurred in the area of Foso Real, when members of the Regular Group who were patrolling were stoned. The Spanish Troop and Navy Association (ATME) has described what happened as a new "ambush" against the deployed forces in the autonomous city.
The Superior Police Headquarters of Ceuta has confirmed that four Moroccan citizens in an irregular situation were arrested accused of participating in the attack. The suspects were intercepted after a chase that ended near Chorrillo beach.
Second attack against soldiers in just 48 hours
The new aggression occurs just two days after another episode recorded during the early hours of Thursday, when four soldiers were injured after a group threw stones at a patrol in the Benzú area.
For that attack, twelve migrants were arrested. Eleven of them later acknowledged their participation and were expelled to Morocco, with a five-year entry ban in Spain, while the twelfth remained in provisional prison after denying his involvement.
The succession of incidents has raised concern among professional military associations. ATME claims that the deployed forces are enduring "physical assaults, insults, and psychological pressure" while carrying out surveillance patrols activated after the migration crisis that began with the massive entries on July 30 and 31.
The military demands more protective means
The association also denounces that some of the soldiers patrolling the city do so without weapons or certain protective elements, a situation that, it claims, limits their ability to respond to assaults.
"We are tied hand and foot," lament military sources quoted by El Español, who demand to have means such as vests, helmets, or shields and ask the Ministry of Defense for a clearer legal framework that determines what capacity for action they have when faced with public order incidents.
ATME has also requested psychological support for the personnel and warns of the accumulated wear after several weeks of deployment. The organization assures that some military personnel are "at their mental and physical limit" after the continuous days of surveillance and the latest violent episodes.
What capacity do the military have to intervene
One of the main demands raised by military associations refers to their legal framework during this type of operations. The personnel remain deployed mainly in surveillance and support tasks for the National Police and the Civil Guard, but do not act generally as police forces.
The Law 39/2007 of the military career contemplates that certain members of the Armed Forces may be considered agents of authority when performing military police functions or participating in operations provided for in the National Defense legislation. The associations demand that the Government specify the conditions of action in the Ceuta deployment to allow a proportionate response to possible aggressions.
Tension grows over security in Ceuta
The attack this Saturday occurs at a time of special tension in the autonomous city, where security forces maintain extensive deployments after the arrival of thousands of migrants from Morocco at the end of July.
In recent days, clashes, demonstrations, and various incidents have occurred between migrants, residents, and members of the security forces. The Army continues to conduct patrols while the National Police and Civil Guard maintain reinforcements deployed at various points in Ceuta.
The sergeant injured in the attack this morning presents, according to initial information, minor injuries. The four detainees remain in police custody awaiting the determination of responsibilities arising from the aggression.